hey guys. my 88 5.0 stays extrmly cold even after driving it for a long time.i thought it might be the gauge but if i race the engine alittle bit the needle will move. it doesnt even get in the normal range.the guys i bougth it from said he replaced the water pump.any ideas?

 

i had that problem in my 87 5.0... sounds like your engine's not reaching Closed Loop status, and not warming up properly. i fixed it with 2 new o2 sensors, because their monitors are checked before the computer will go into closed loop. wait and see if someone else has another quick fix or something before u buy those, as they are like $60-80/piece new i think. are your current o2 sensors really old? or is your car runnin real rich? u might try cleaning them.

 

mybe u have a 160 degree therostate?

 

it does seem to be running rich. could the engine runnign cold be harmful to it? would a 160 thermostat cause it to stay that cold? i was thinking about putting a 195 in.

 

put in a 180 thermo thats what most guys on here are running

 

It's supposively worth a few extra HP.

 

Well, I wouldnt be concerned about the couple extra HP. Its not good to run your car too cold.

 

sounds like the guy took the t-stat out when he replaced the WP.